As early voting surges, Trump reshuffles his schedule to add back rallies in Iowa and Kansas

With early balloting running well ahead of the last midterm cycle, President Donald Trump has restored two Sunday rallies he had scrapped, one in Dubuque, Iowa, and one in Salina, Kansas. Both states have Senate contests that could decide whether Republicans keep their slim majority. Trump had swapped the stops for a set of phone rallies, but said friends in the two states urged him to appear in person. The Republican National Committee confirmed the final plans after the Iowa location changed twice on Friday, according to an anonymous person familiar with the planning, according to PBS NewsHour.

The Associated Press calculated that almost 10 million additional people had voted five days before Election Day compared with 2022. Early voting is up about 30% in Iowa and Kansas, and the same margin holds in Maine, Michigan and North Carolina. Texas is up 50%, and South Carolina, where voters are replacing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, is up 83%. Trump has headlined 25 rallies in October. He rejected suggestions that the Kansas cancellation reflected fatigue or poor health, saying he feels perfect. He is backing Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas and Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →